Some people who manufacture ready-to-wear clothing refer to it as the “rag business” in conversational shorthand.
      But when almost four tons of garments moved in a bonded truck from Tirupur to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL)— about a 5-and-a-half-hour road journey at a distance of 325-odd kilometers—the result was a rags-to-riches delivery without a stitch lost in time. It successfully showcased the innovative mindset of the private promoters of BIAL.

Knitwear To Anywhere

      The Tirupur-made garments were shipped to Tel Aviv on a British Airways flight. Known as the knitwear capital of India and accounting for 90 percent of country’s cotton knitwear export, Tirupur manufactures for some of the world’s largest retailers including C&A, Nike, Walmart, Primark, Adidas, Switcher, Polo Ralph Lauren, Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger, M&S, FILA, H&M, and Reebok.
      Manufacturers from the “Knitwear City” have always been on the lookout for easier connectivity to international airports; before the bonded trucking program took off, loads of garments were sent to Chennai, a 7-and-a-half-hour road journey at about 470 km away.

Bonded Concept

      BIAL, in collaboration with its cargo partners—Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore (MABB) and Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS)—conceptualized the dedicated bonded trucking service from Tirupur to Bengaluru.
      Part of the Knitwork Connect BLR project, it was initiated with the aim of connecting Tirupur to Bengaluru.
      The move will enable exporters from Tirupur and surrounding areas to freight their consignments through Bengaluru Airport via road transport in an efficient, safe, and highly process-driven manner.
 

South India Rising Gateway

      As an airport located centrally in South India, Bengaluru Airport has a geographical advantage that would benefit exporters from the city. 
      The trucking of cargo between Tirupur and Bengaluru will form a critical part of the airport’s cargo operation.
      A dedicated road feeder for connecting cargo will be introduced to maintain a minimum transshipment time. 
      The cargo will be moved via purpose-built truck docks to achieve a quick turnaround. This feeder service will ensure that air freight reaches its ultimate destination quickly and efficiently and will offer exporters a cost-effective way of transporting bulk cargo from Tirupur.

Looking toward The Future

      Back in 2012, Bengaluru airport authorities had pointed out to ACNFT that with competition rising, more avenues needed to be tapped to boost cargo volumes. In fact, teams from the airport had gone to Tirupur and Ambur, also known as the Leather City of South India (distance from Ambur to Chennai is 185 km, while it is only 165 km to Bengaluru), to find out the feasibility of starting bonded trucking services to the airport.    

How It Works

      Today, with the bonded trucking facility, custom clearances have become faster.
      The consignments are booked in Tirupur and taken directly to the airport in Customs ‘sealed trucks’ the airport authorities arrange, where they are then put on to the flight.
      According to the airport cargo authorities, the bookings received for the bonded service were encouraging and there had been queries to start services from other destinations as well.

Count Delhi In

      Like the GVK-operated Bengaluru airport, the GMR-controlled Delhi International Airport, too, has a bonded trucking service. The maiden initiative started quite some time ago. The partnership between the privately controlled airport and the government-owned Container Corporation of India, or CONCOR, sees goods moved between the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Kanpur, 500 km and a seven-hour road journey from Delhi, to the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Pradeep Panicker

      According to Pradeep Panicker, Chief Commercial Officer-Aero of the airport, the launch of such a facility was yet another move to meet the growing demand of the cargo industry emerging from Tier-II cities. “It does not just cut down on the cost and time involved in shipping, but also reduces the multiple handling of the air cargo.” He emphasized that airlines would now be accepting cargo at the ICD, thereby “ensuring better protection and minimal transit risk of the cargo items.”

Sanjiv Edward

      Sanjiv Edward, Head Cargo Business at Delhi Airport, mentioned that the launch of the bonded trucking services was part of a vision to make Delhi a successful cargo hub. Import Bonded Trucking was one of the initiatives that would help Delhi realize its vision. “Bonded Trucking is a logical complement to air connectivity and we are confident that it will prove to be a boost for the cargo industry in the long run,” said Edward.

Anand Yedery

      The first carrier to use the bonded trucking service was Cathay Pacific. Anand Yedery, Regional Cargo Manager – South Asia, Middle East & Africa, said that the bonded trucking initiative would “help us provide end-to-end solutions to our customers in our offline ports.”
      The service, he said, had certainly assisted Cathay Pacific Cargo to serve as the one-stop shop for all cargo solutions.
      He was certain that the service would help “to further strengthen our position in the North India market.”
      The concept of dedicated bonded trucking is not new.
      However, it is only now that it has taken off. Its growth remained stunted due to a lot of reasons and policies.

India Bonded Trucking On The Rise

      A major constraint was the multiple formalities at airports. Industry stakeholders ACNFT talked to were of the opinion that bonded trucking would grow when more carriers start operations in India.
      Today, with the customs department working round the clock, cargo movement has improved dramatically. It is in such a situation that more Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities will be able to utilize bonded trucks to send out export goods.
      Reminds of us of a song…
Tirthankar Ghosh